We’ve been told by Israeli security officials that 600 aid trucks will be allowed into Gaza every day as part of the ceasefire agreement’s humanitarian clause.
UNICEF said in a statement yesterday that more than 1,300 trucks are ready to take aid into Gaza and called on “all parties” to open the besieged enclave to humanitarian supplies.
The trucks are “ready to bring in tents, nutrition items, essential medicines and vaccines, learning and recreation kits, and water and sanitation supplies,” the UN’s children’s agency said.
UNICEF “welcomes” the ceasefire which has come into effect in Gaza, it said, adding that it “provides hope for Palestinian children who have suffered through two years of horrific war.”
“Two years of bombardments and fighting have resulted in catastrophic devastation across the Gaza Strip,” the statement added.
“More than 64,000 children have been reported killed and injured, and homes, hospitals and schools have been destroyed. Essential services have collapsed, and the scale of humanitarian needs is immense.”
Israeli security officials previously told CNN that 600 aid trucks will be allowed into Gaza every day as part of the ceasefire agreement’s humanitarian clause, but aid groups told CNN yesterday the expected surge in deliveries had not yet materialized.
“All parties must ensure that UN humanitarian operations can immediately and safely resume at scale,” UNICEF said in its statement.
“All crossings into Gaza, including in the north, should be opened immediately for the flow of humanitarian aid and essential goods and critical supplies.”
Israeli security officials told CNN that 600 aid trucks will be allowed into Gaza every day as part of the ceasefire agreement’s humanitarian clause.
The trucks will come from “the UN-approved international organizations, the private sector, and donor countries,” according to the officials.
The supplies will include cooking gas, food, medical supplies, shelter supplies and more, they added. In addition, equipment “for the repair of critical infrastructure such as water lines, sewage systems, and bakeries,” will also be allowed in, the officials said.
UN aid teams say they are ready to bring thousands of tons of supplies into Gaza but two UN officials in the region – from UNICEF and OCHA – told CNN on Friday the expected surge in aid deliveries following the Israeli government’s approval of the ceasefire plan had not yet materialized.
The Israeli security officials also said that Palestinians will be able to leave and enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing, with the border of Egypt.
Exiting Gaza through the Rafah crossing will follow “Israeli security approval” and will be under the supervision of a European Union mission, they said. The mechanism will be “similar to the January 2025 mechanism,” they said, referring to the exit pathway Palestinians took in coordination with the UN and international organizations at the time.
The ability for Palestinians to re-enter Gaza again is a new development. People who want to return to their homes in the enclave will be “subject to Israeli approval and to a specific mechanism that will be coordinated later with the Egyptian side,” the officials said.
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